1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a mobile station, and in particular, to a hot code service in a mobile station.
2. Description of the Related Art
Commonly, a “hot code” service refers to a service in which when a user holds a bar code printed in a newspaper, a magazine, a leaflet, etc., up to a camera equipped in a mobile station, the mobile station automatically accesses related Internet content or shopping content. Thus, the hot code service allows a user to conveniently access and/or use a specific content (e.g., bell sound or MP3 music corresponding to the hot code). Moreover, the hot code service simplifies the process of accessing the content by omitting unnecessary content access steps such as logging in to a server, and provides immediate access to a wireless Internet server to download relevant content. Accordingly, access time is reduced thereby allowing the user to use desired content simply and quickly without incurring unnecessary communication fees.
The hot code service is achieved by sensing a hot code or a bar code printed in a newspaper or a magazine, recognizing it as an image, and recognizing a pattern on the recognized image. Thus, a technique of recognizing a hot code or a bar code in a mobile station using a hot code service method is most important. FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a conventional method of recognizing a hot code or a bar code.
Referring to FIG. 1, when a user wants to recognize monochromatic data such as general hot code or bar code (hereinafter, pattern data), the user holds the pattern data up to a camera equipped in a mobile station. Then, in step 100, a controller of the mobile station senses that an image of the pattern data is input to a camera unit at that moment. In step 102, the controller of the mobile station recognizes red, green and blue (RGB) data of the sensed pattern data as YCbCr data (which will be described below). In step 104, the controller of the mobile station extracts Y data from the recognized YCbCr data. Herein, Y data is image brightness data used in pattern recognition, i.e., data related to black and white, Cb data is blue data having a characteristic of high frequency component data, which is included in the pattern data, and Cr data is red data having a characteristic of low frequency component data, which is included in the pattern data. In step 106, the image is recognized using only the Y data. That is, the conventional method of recognizing an image of pattern data in which an image of the pattern data is recognized using only the extracted Y data among the recognized Y data, Cb data, and Cr data. The image recognition allows the user to use an operation according to the recognized pattern image, i.e., specific Internet content, shopping content, etc.
However, in the conventional method of recognizing an image of pattern data, since recognition of pattern data is performed with only a brightness component of the pattern data, i.e., Y data, a recognition rate of the pattern data is low. FIG. 2A illustrates a typical hot code, and FIG. 2B illustrates image data obtained by recognizing the hot code illustrated in FIG. 2A using the conventional method of recognizing an image of pattern data.
Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, in the conventional method of recognizing an image of pattern data, a recognition rate decreases as largely as edges of pattern data are hardly identified. Yet, if a structure of the pattern data is not that complicated, the recognition may be possible without large problems in the conventional method of recognizing an image of pattern data. However, the number and kinds of wireless contents is increasing day by day accompanying development of Internet services, and therefore, structures of pattern data will be more complicated. Thus, a method and apparatus for recognizing pattern data, which has a recognition rate higher than that of the conventional method of recognizing pattern data, is required without delay.
Accordingly, an apparatus and method for recognizing pattern data having a recognition rate which is improved when compared to the conventional apparatus and method of recognizing pattern data, is desired.